Scale Tool: Scaling precisely

Scaling precisely

The Measurements Toolbar at the bottom right corner of the SketchUp window displays the axis dimensions that are being scaled, and the value of the scale itself, in the default units (as specified under the Units panel of the Model Info dialog box) during a scaling operation. Type a scale value into the Measurements Toolbar to directly scale geometry during or immediately after a scaling operation.

Entering a scale multiplier value
You can specify a new dimensional length value during or directly following a scaling operation. To enter a dimensional length value during a scaling operation:

Select the Select tool (). The cursor will change to an arrow.

Select the geometry to scale.

Select the Scale tool (). The cursor will change to a box within another box. Scaling grips will appear around the selected geometry.

Click on a scaling grip to select the grip. The selected grip and the opposite scaling grip will highlight in red. Each scaling grip provides a different scaling operation. See Scaling Options section for further information.

Move the mouse to scale the geometry. The Measurements Toolbar displays relative size of the item as you scale the item. You can enter the desired scale dimensions after the scale operation is complete.

Type the dimensional length value (such as 2' 6" for two feet and six inches or 2m for two meters) in the Measurements Toolbar and press the Enter (Microsoft Windows) or Return (Mac OS X) key.

Mirroring geometry using the Scale tool
The Scale tool can also be used to mirror geometry by pulling a grip towards and then beyond the point about which you are scaling. This operation allows you to pull geometry inside out. Note that the grips snap to certain negative values (such as -1, -1.5, and -2) just as they do in the positive direction. You can force a mirror by typing in a negative value or dimension.

Entering multiple scale values
The Measurements Toolbar always indicates the scaling factors associated with a particular operation. A 1D scaling operation requires one value. A 2D scaling operation requires two values, separated by a comma. A Uniform 3D scaling operation requires only one value whereas a Non Uniform 3D scaling operation requires three values, each separated by a comma.

You'll notice that during the scale operation, a dashed line appears between the scaling point and the grip you've selected. Entering a single value or distance in the Measurements Toolbar tells SketchUp adjust the anchor to grip distance to be that scale value or distance, regardless of which mode (1D, 2D, 3D) is active.

When scaling in multiple directions, typing in multiple values separated by commas will resize the object(s) based on the entire bounding box dimension(s), not the objects individually. (To scale objects based on a particular edge or known distance, you can use the Tape Measure tool.)